March 7, 2001
AMHERST, MA - The Amherst baseball team enters the 2001 season focused on a trip to the inaugural NESCAC Championship Tournament - a new goal for a program accustomed to a tradition of consistant success.
The 2001 Lord Jeffs feature an experienced pitching staff, as well as some highly successful offensive standouts. Losing only four players to graduation, Amherst will have to replace the production of third baseman Hugh Quattlebaum (.422) and Tim Kepner (.372), as well as Whit Griffinger and Larry Miles. Quattlebaum, a four-year starter and captain in both baseball and basketball, is currently a professional baseball player in the Detroit Tigers minor league system.
The historically successful Amherst pitching staff lost just one pitcher from last year's 19-10 squad, and features some interesting newcomers. The Jeffs finished the season with a 3.70 team ERA, more than two full points lower than its opponents.
Leading the way is senior co-captain Kevin Downes (Pound Ridge, NY). Downes was dominant in the 2000 season, finishing with a 9-1 record, a 1.36 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 72 innings. In honor of his success, he was named a Second-Team All-American, as well as an All-New England All-Star and a member of the NESCAC first team. Downes capped off his year by being named an All-Star as a member of the Harwich Mariners in the prestigious Cape Cod Summer League.
Other Jeffs looking to make their mark this season include juniors Dave Krauser (Short Hills, NJ), who went 4-2 with a 2.74 ERA last season, Jeff Leduc (Pittsfield, Mass.) who was 3-2 with a 5.31 ERA and Chris O'Connor (Exton, Penn.) who was 0-1. Returning sophomores Chris Vecsey (Madison, NY), Jonah Ansell (Oak Park, Ill.) who was 2-2, and Matt Weiner (Madison, Conn.) will be joined by promising first-years Duncan Webb (Lynn, Mass.), Andy Kerns (Barrington, Ill.), Shane Neufeld (Brooklyn, NY), as well as a newcomer to the staff Jake Kahn (St. Louis, Missouri).
Shortstop Jordan Krall (Encino, Calif.) will anchor the Amherst infield. Aside from his prowess on the diamond, Krall was recently selected as one of 32 college students from across the nation for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to study in England next year. Joining him on the left side of the infield will be senior Ryan Whitmarsh (Dalton, Mass.) at third base, who had a strong 2000 campaign, hitting .341 with a team-high four home runs. Both first and second base will have a new look this season, as juniors John Brody (Baltimore, Md.) and Kevin Grant (Mendon, Mass.) will vie for time at second, and sophomores Brett Nicol (Orinda, Calif.), Joe Katuska (Southboro, Mass.) and Josh Sadlier (East Blue Hill, Maine) will compete at first. Some incoming first-years have also fared well, including Andy Argyris (Oakland, Calif.) at third, Fran Morales (North Andover, Mass.) and Brandon Cody (Boston, Mass.) at second, and Andy Greig (Summit, NJ) at first.
The outfield features senior co-captain Dave Siegle (Falmouth, Maine), a key offensive threat throughout his career, batting .371 in 2000 and .348 in 1999. Sophomore John Schneider (Grand Rapids, Mich.) returns in centerfield after hitting .289 last season, while Devin Haran (Basking Ridge, NJ) will play right field after missing much of his freshman year due to injury. Sophomore Jarrett Solomon (Simsbury, Conn.) and first-year Paul Whiting (Mission Viejo, Calif.) round out the outfielders.
The Lord Jeffs return starting catcher J.R. Drabick (Lebanon, NH) for his junior season after hitting .305 in 2000. The position also features multi-positional players in Katuska at first, and Brody at second as well as junior Carlos Tilghman-Osborne (Guilford, Conn.).
Amherst will once again take its annual spring trip to Ft. Myers, Fla., opening its season with ten games in eight days. Back North, the Jeffs will play 23 games, including the traditional three-game series with both Wesleyan and Williams for the Little Three title. This season also features the first-ever NESCAC league slate, with Amherst joined in the West division by Williams, Wesleyan, Middlebury and Hamilton. The top two teams in the West will play the top two teams in the East (Trinity, Tufts, Colby, Bates, Bowdoin), in a four-team, double-elimination conference tournament to decide who will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.
Amherst College won the first intercollegiate baseball game ever played when it defeated Williams College in Pittsfield, Mass. by the score 73-32 in 1859. More recently, the Amherst baseball program has sent 22 players on to play professional baseball, including major league pitchers Dan Thompson '80 and John Cerutti '82. Amherst alums are also prominent in numerous pro baseball administrative capacities, including Boston Red Sox General Manager Dan Duquette '81, and Cleveland Indians Director of Player Development Neil Huntington '91.
